Miami Heat Snatch Ray Allen From the Boston Celtics

Former Celtics shooting guard, Ray Allen, has officially decided to leave Boston and play for the Miami Heat this upcoming season. Allen's unexpected departure leaves both fans and Coach Doc Rivers shocked and surprised.

"I'm just disappointed, he should have stayed," Rivers said before the Celtics' summer league entry began practice at Rollins College. "We recruited him just as hard [as Miami]. We talked [after he agreed to a three-year contract with the Heat]. It was a good talk. When a guy makes his mind up, I am not going to try to change it. I respect him for all he did for us, but I thought he should have stayed with us."

It is hard to understand the decision Ray Allen made. The Celtics offered double the amount of money, which amounted to $12 million over two years. It is well documented that Ray Allen may have had some personal problems with Celtics point guard, Rajon Rondo and re-signing Celtics' Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass, and Jeff Green before Allen may have made him feel un-wanted.

"No. But that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what I think. I just wish we could have found a way [to keep him] and we didn't. I'll always put the blame on us, that's easier." Rivers said when asked whether he agreed with Allen's reasoning for signing with the Heat.

Although Ray Allen is a prolific scorer and the best three-point shooter in the NBA, Celtics are still looking to be in great shape for the upcoming season. Shooting guard, Avery Bradley, proved his worth last season as one of the team's best on-ball defenders while also improving on offense, and taking the starter position over Ray Allen.

Terry is reportedly headed to Boston on a three-year deal for the full mid-level exception (roughly $5 million per season), and while the deal isn't official yet -- free agents can't officially sign with teams until July 11 -- a handful of reports have confirmed that the two sides have locked down a deal.

"I just love that they have a championship pedigree,'' Terry, who plays both guard spots coming off the bench, said of why he chose the Celtics. "And I think their point guard (Rajon Rondo) is the best in the business at controlling both ends of the floor. And they've got Hall of Famers.''

Celtics vice president of basketball operations, Danny Ainge, said Saturday he would not comment on the departure of Ray Allen to the Miami Heat until the league's moratorium on signing free agents ends July 11. That doesn't mean he isn't hard at work trying to replace Allen with another shooting guard.

"Obviously we need to fill the void, we need another shooting guard, of course," he said. "There are a lot of good players left. We're limited to what we can do with the biannual exception we need to wait and see."